Colin Marks's Blog

Review: Grit by Angela Duckworth

I loved Angela on “No Stupid Questions”, it was one of my go-to podcasts, an excellent balance of entertainment and information. Sadly, this book didn’t live up to my expectations. It offered little practical advice and mostly consisted of anecdotes grouped into themed chapters, many of which just felt randomly placed. A very interesting author, I still enjoy listening to the repeats of NSQ, but this book wasn’t for me.

See review on Goodreads.

Review: The Bear by Andrew Krivak

The Bear opens like The Road—in medias res, post-apocalyptic, a man and a child alone in the wilderness—but soon drifts into a kind of magical realism grounded in a deep understanding of what it means to live off the land. It’s a sparse book, both in language and in content, yet it unfolds as a quietly beautiful fable about our bond with the natural world.

See review on Goodreads.

Review: Mania by Lionel Shriver

Lionel Shriver’s Mania is set in an alternative reality where the “Mental Parity” movement has gained control -the world has prejudiced stupid people for long enough and now’s the time for correction! I read this in mid-2025, and this satirical critique of the woke cancel culture and its effect on meritocracy already seems dated.

The novel is clever, the writing fluid and gorgeous, but the thin premise was stretched to a microscope thickness. The final 20% definitely, where Mania became a boo...

Review: The Chimp Paradox by Steve Peters

Can’t say it any better than this chap https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/863959908

TL;DR one to skip, painfully simplistic. So painful to read, I didn’t finish.

Review: Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

For a 50 year-old science fiction work, written behind the iron curtain (though this is the uncensored original), Roadside Picnic comes across very fresh. It offers an interesting take on the “first contact” genre – no aliens are ever met, only their debris remains. Very grounded within the in media res style, the action is fast, flowing and hard-hitting. Highly recommend.

Tyler: thank you for this Christmas present – you always give thoughtful gifts

See review on Goodreads.

Review: Murder Mindfully by Karsten Dusse

Karsten Dusse’s “Murder Mindfully” is a darkly comic crime thriller that blends self-help with suspense. The book follows Björn, a lawyer who attempts to apply mindfulness techniques to his chaotic life, with humorous and often brutal results.

This is a decent summer read – silly but fun, and apparently being made into a TV show for those who prefer the screen to the word!

Book kindly supplied by NetGalley for an honest review.

See review on Goodreads.

Review: Waiting for a Party by Vesna Main

This is a stunning book. The writing is gorgeous and confident, with insightful observations woven into elegant prose. The novel follows a withheld woman who, after the death of her husband, embarks on a journey of sexual and mental liberation. Recounting this journey from the perspective of her nineties, the protagonist offers a poignant reflection on desire, loss, and the enduring power of the human spirit. I will certainly be keeping an eye out for more of Vesna’s work!

Book kindly supplie...

Review: Mine!: How the Hidden Rules of Ownership Control Our Lives by Michael A. Heller, James Salzman

Mine! is an interesting book that discusses the hidden rules of ownership – a subject that sounds simple until you get into those fiddly edge cases. For example, when your neighbour’s trees block your solar panels, who owns that light travelling over their property, or even the air space above or the minerals below their property. Heller explains there are six basic principles of ownership: first-in-time, possession, labour, attachment, self-ownership, and family. But within those categories, it...

Review: A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher

I love post-apocalyptic novels, and this one offers a truly fresh take. Instead of the usual grim world inhabited by zombies or ravaged by a natural disaster that leaves survivors fighting over Earth’s dwindling resources, this story is simply…nice. Yes, “nice” pretty much sums it up. Pleasant things happen. Not too much action, but enough to keep the pages turning. A few twists are thrown in intermittently, almost like clockwork, but none of them felt critical to the plot.

The story starts w...

Review: The City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke

Some interesting ideas, though some weirdly odd ones (language doesn’t evolve over millions of years apparently). Probably ground breaking in its day, but the writing style and general insights are showing their age.

See review on Goodreads.